Redbird Part Two, The Merging
by Cherry Rain
Summary: Cont. of Redbird. What's going to happen when the Bladebreakers and Lei Feng go to Johhny's mansion at Robert's request? It is advisable to read Redbird first. KaiOC, RayMariah. You have been warned.
1. Reappearance of the Dark Phoenix

Redbird, Part Two- The Merging

Chapter One: Reappearance of the Dark Phoenix

As Lei Feng got off the plane Oliver DuBois had piloted onto the private runway owned by Johnny McGregor, she gazed up at the impressive stone structure the second-best player in Europe lived in. It reared up grandly on a cliff of granite, and it called to mind tales of dark castles with secrets better left unfound, of secret and dangerous passages, of traps and the guillotine that had been used to execute Marie Antoinette. Though if she was right in what kind of guy Johnny was, he would probably have replaced it with beyblades- which were as effective as guillotines, in their own way. It was at times like this that she was reminded of the destructive power a blade actually held- more so a blade like her own.

Her thoughts were then distracted by three other guys, one with gelled purple hair who was taller than the other two, one blond with colour coordination as bad as Max's- yellow, red and green. And the last, with distinctive red hair held back by a bandanna and with lavender eyes tempered with a hint of steel grey, would be the current owner of this entire place. Jonathan McGregor. 

She noted that the minute he saw them, his eyes went first to Kai, and there they stayed, locked in their little silent war, ignoring the rest of them as Robert and Tyson made the introductions. 

When Tyson pointed to her and said she was their newest member, she inclined her head slightly. "As Tyson said, I'm the newest member. And you would be Robert, right? Top player in Europe?"

"That's right. And I look forward to battling you someday."

"Me too."

And then she was cut short by an untimely rumble emitting from Tyson's stomach. Oliver offered to show them in, and Enrique slapped Johnny on the back, commenting about feeding the big black hole. Johnny just rolled his eyes. 

Dropping back to where Kai was, she noted the utter lack of expression on his face and wisely refrained from saying anything, instead just walking companionably at his side.

The knocker at the door was carved in the shape of the family crest- that of the fire lizard, the salamander, and the bitbeast now held by Johnny- Salamalyon.

Pushing open the door, the Bladebreakers were shown to their own rooms by Johnny's butler, who eyed each of them suspiciously and then finally, laid eyes on Tyson. By the way his eyes widened, a piece of advice had been given to him by Robert's butler on the gastronomical powers of this boy.

Shown to a room of her own, she chucked the small duffel she had with her on the bed, changed into fresh clothes and went down for lunch. 

Robert, Enrique, Oliver, Johnny and the irrepressible Tyson were already seated there. And to the left of Oliver, there was another person- a girl, who bore a stunning resemblance to Johnny, except that her hair was far longer and braided into a long plait, and her eyes were a dark blue instead of the lavender of her brother. She wore a dark blue shirt with ripped sleeves and long white jeans. The bandanna was similar to the one her brother wore.

Johnny said, "People, this would be my sister Janrilene."

The girl scowled and said, "Janri will do. I don't know what mother was thinking when she decided to stick me with such a long name."

Giving a slight smile to the other girl, she held out her hand. In the moment when Janri shook hands with her, she realized Janri was a beyblader and had been such for a considerable length of time. That much was obvious from the calluses that all bladers did after a while of holding and yanking at the ripcord. 

"Walters! Where's the food? I'm huuuungry!"

Janri grinned widely. "My brother said he's always like that. I can't believe a person could eat as much as he does and live. He just ate all the appetizers already."

"He's a hopeless case, Janri." The girl's voice had been about an octave higher than that of her brother, her words were clear and had a certain crispness to them which made Lei Feng reasonably certain Janri would be a great opponent in the dish. "The best strategy around Tyson is to grab your food and guard it with your life."

Just then, the rest of the Bladebreakers arrived, and Mariah seated herself to the left of Ray, with Yu beside her, the pink haired girl vivacious and lively beside her more somber seeming companion. 

Again, Lei Feng eyed Yu with suspicion. But since she returned to China, she had not seen neither hide nor hair of the fox bitbeast that had tailed Yu in Greece. Maybe Yu was out of the picture already. Anyway, forgive and forget. If Yu did not try to harm her, she would not try to harm Yu. 

After a most delightful dinner [Tyson enjoyed it the most], they all settled down in a smaller room off the side, each settling down to their own activities. Johnny and Robert went back to a chessboard with the pieces scattered across, obviously they had stopped in the middle of a game. 

Enrique was talking with Tyson, Max and Kenny, Ray was in a small corner with Mariah and Yu was nowhere to be found. Kai was sitting in a chair with his eyes closed. Lei Feng decided it would be nice to chat with Janri. 

"So how come I've never seen you before?" Lei Feng asked. "As far as I can tell, you have no ranking in the European blading networks."

"Simple reason, Lei Feng- I don't battle in tournaments."

"Why?"

"They just aren't my style. I prefer quieter little one-on-one competitions."

Janri wasn't the type to seek attention, but Lei Feng knew not to misunderstand that for weakness. She was Johnny's sister, and more likely than not was a good blader in her own right. 

"I'd like to battle you some day, Janri," Lei Feng said. 

"As would I, Lei Feng. But I won't lose."

Lei Feng looked after the girl. The way she had said 'won't' made her think that Janri would not be pleased if she lost- she obviously had a temper to match that hair.

*** 

Satashi settled down on the couch in the hotel room he was in, which was a considerable distance from the McGregor estates, but the closest he could get. Foxflame sprang out of the blade and curled up on his lap. 

Satashi asked the bitbeast to send a message to Marine through the link that had been created, telling it to inform Yu of his presence in Europe. 

*** 

Yu was sitting in her room. One good thing about being here was that it would be easier to talk to and communicate with Satashi without arousing suspicion, since she didn't have to share with Mariah or anyone else.

Marine shimmered in the pattern Satashi had told her to remember, two long shines, three sharp flashes, then a fading burst of light. Tapping into the mental connection, she heard Satashi as they channeled through their bitbeasts. 

"Yu, I need you to help me keep an eye on the girl. I'm now in Europe, but I can't get close. Do you know if Hiwatari still keeps Black Dranzer with him?"

Yu shook her head automatically, though she knew he couldn't see her. "No, I don't know."

"Anyway, just try to watch. You know my master needs them to do this."

"What is your master trying to do with the bitbeasts anyway, Satashi?"

His answer, when it came, evaded her question deftly. "Well, I'm not sure, but I'll definitely try and tell you if I can."

Yu frowned a little, but knew that was all the answer she was going to get from him. "Alright, Satashi."

*** 

Settling into her bed, Lei Feng opened a link with Redbird. There were a few questions she needed to ask her bitbeast.

"Redbird, what do you know of my past? I never even knew what my lineage was. My mother was surnamed He, so I took my surname after her. I don't even know what name my father went by. There must be a reason why I'm attracting this kind of attention. Why did Kenshin appear only after so long? Why did you come to me if you didn't want to?"

"I was summoned to you, Lei Feng. We can choose whom we think suits us best, when the time comes for us to be bonded, but those who are reluctant can delay thrice and stay in our realm. On the fourth time, you will be forced to choose. I tried to deny that fourth choice. And I was forced somehow to your blade."

Lei Feng lay still, digesting that bit of information. So Redbird had come to her unwillingly. Maybe she didn't deserve her bitbeast.

She forgot her thoughts were still open to the Lightning Bird. "No," Redbird said firmly. "I was sent to you. Which means that you were meant for something. If I had killed myself in refusal, another would have been sent to you. I later learnt that there was already a backup if I suicided. But that bitbeast was later given to a girl called Janrilene McGregor."

Janrilene?

Busy thinking about what her bitbeast had said, she forgot that she had asked about her heritage in the first place.

*** 

Janrilene loosed the dark green and cyan beyblade, thinking about the girl who had shown up with the Bladebreakers that day. Her name was Lei Feng, a very distinctive person with that long streak of white in her hair, her jet eyes. This girl would be a very strong rival in the near future.

Johnny had yielded and brought the Bladebreakers here for a most absurd reason, in Janri's mind. If Robert would let him win three chess games, he would bring them here. And Robert had his own plans for this bunch. 

As far as Janri could gather, he wanted to get a little research on bitbeasts done. He had said something about working on a blade-and-bit prototype, and that comment in particular had intrigued Janri. How he was going to get the data, she didn't know.

Tyson, from what her brother had said, was a bottomless well when it came to food, but currently one of the top bladers in the world. Max, with the bitbeast called Draciel, was one of the more obscure members of the Bladebreakers, but she knew he had to have something about him that made him different from just anyone. Maybe it was that aura of never having matured past his kid years. 

Ray, who had defected from the White Tigers, and judging on his relationship with his former team leader, was carrying out an illicit little relationship with the pink haired girl called Mariah. He wielded the bitbeast called Driger, the White Tiger and was probably quite a good fighter.

And then there was Kai Hiwatari, who was their team leader and had been master of the bitbeast called Black-Dranzer at one time. Sure, now he used Dranzer, but the fact that he had managed to control the dark power of that particular blade spoke well for him, in her estimation. 

Recalling her blade, she studied its chip. Emblazoned there was the picture of a stag, its horns carrying twelve tips, each tip coated with a layer of steel, the hooves of the same metal, its pelt dark as twilight. The blade itself had 'horns', sharp, spiky lances sticking out. 

Hallyon.

The dark stag, which was said to face down the predatory wolves that the deer were threatened by, king of the herd. Hers. 

She had been so disappointed when Salamalyon had been given to Johnny. There was no other bitbeast in the family line. But then Hallyon had come, told her that he'd been waiting for one worthy of him all this while, reassuring her that she was no less better than her elder brother. 

Soon, Lei Feng, I'll fight you, and then you'll see what it means to battle the Stag of Twilight. And I won't lose. I won't. I'll lose to nought but my brother and Robert. I cannot say that I will be better than them. 

But Robert told me who you are; you're just another blader off the street. I won't let myself be beaten by you. Look out, He Lei Feng. 

*** 

Johnny frowned as he lay back in bed. He was the only one who knew how explosive Janri could be when she lost a match. Sure, he had a temper too, but she practically ruled the rest of the McGregor household. 

And here another strong-minded female had appeared. This was not going to be good. If Janri and Lei Feng had a battle, he doubted either would back down. Feathers would fly and if he was lucky, the two of them together wouldn't destroy his family estates. 

Robert had better have a very, very, very good reason for bringing the Bladebreakers here.

*** 

Lei Feng woke, and dressed quickly, not wanting to be late to breakfast. But first, she looked in on the guys. Max and Kenny she shook awake, but Tyson was hopelessly dead to the world. Fishing around in her pocket, she found a red pepper. The type favoured by the Bladebreakers as the fastest that Tyson reacted to. There were peppers, and then there were peppers. Some were so mild he did nothing more than cough once or twice and then roll over. But then there were those that took less than three seconds for him to react. 

Popping into Tyson's open mouth, she waited and then suddenly he was in her face, screaming for water. She suddenly remembered she hadn't poured any water yet. Without waiting for her confirmation of that fact, some instinct made Tyson dash for the bathroom and stick his head under the tap. 

He came out; glaring at her and shaking his head like a dog to rid himself of the water droplets. Lei Feng raised her hand to stop herself getting a shower. 

"How uncouth, Tyson," came a voice from the door. Robert stood there, looking on the proceedings with a mixture of amusement and disgust. 

"Don't you start on me! This bunch play a bunch of tricks on me just to get me to wake up in the morning!" Tyson said indignantly, pointing an accusing finger at Lei Feng. 

"Whoa, and if you'd wake up quicker, Tyson, the bunch of us who actually wake early wouldn't have to pop peppers into your mouth, pour water down your neck, or tell you that you missed breakfast!" Lei Feng said defensively. "Do you know we actually spend quite a lot on peppers? The hot ones are expensive!"

Smirking, she stalked out of the room, saying over her shoulder, "Oh and hurry before you miss breakfast! I had the distinct feeling Walters didn't like you, he might accidentally forget your share."

"Nooooo!"

Lei Feng laughed and headed down after her teammate. 

*** 

Later in the day, they all headed down to what Johnny had called a training room. When the lights switched on, she couldn't suppress a gasp. Dishes of different terrain were scattered all over the room, with a large shelf of blade modifications, etc. 

Striding in, she looked around. Going to the counter where beyblade parts were kept, she quickly dismantled Redbird and looked around for a good attack ring. Running her fingers over each, she hit on one that was a shuriken-like object, five pointed blades sticking out. Putting her blade back together, she saw Redbird glow in a little pleasure at the new part. Mariah tapped her on the shoulder. "May I have the first battle, Lei Feng?"

She grinned at her friend. "You're on, Mari. You get to pick the dish."

Mariah looked around, then her grin widened, pointing toward the mountain dish. "That one. Is that okay?"

Lei Feng's eyes widened at the advantage the dish would give her pink-haired friend. Being mountainous, it would suit Galux- which was a mountain cat- very well. And earth absorbed lightning. It would have to be a very accurate hit. 

Well, never let it be said that she backed down from a challenge.

"You're on."

She had practiced with Mariah once or twice, but never battled her in earnest. This would be veeery interesting. 

They both took up their positions. Tyson shouted, "THREE! TWO! ONE! LET IT RIIIIP!"

Both blades hit the dish at the same time. Lei Feng shouted, "Don't let her get the height advantage, Redbird! Up!"

A brief flash of the bit chip, and the blade soared upwards. 

Mariah's eyes slitted, and she yelled, defiantly flipping her ponytail for effect, "Oh no you don't! Galux, pounce!"

Her blade sprang from where it had been, and both blades fell together, crashing into the ground. Both were still spinning, though the two blades had gashes it their sides from the attack ring, and they wasted no time in springing apart, gearing up for another attack. 

"You'll never be fast enough to catch up, Lei Feng! Give it up!" Mariah yelled. "Cat Slash!"

This attack was basically a bumped up version of Cat Scratch, causing a lot more damage. Redbird dodged, but tripped over a pebble and was hit by the last bit. Mariah seized the chance and started hitting at her. 

Lei Feng glared at the dish in desperation. She knew this to be a weak point of her bitbeast- once hit; Redbird found it hard to parry off following attacks if they came at high speed. She didn't want to use her attacks since there were definitely a lot of people here whom she would be battling in the near future, and thus showing them how she fought wasn't a good idea. 

Quietly, she whispered, "Flame Circle."

Redbird caught it, if no one else did, shown by the fact that suddenly small bolts of lightning zapped around Galux's base and burst into flame, forcing it to stay still or get hit. 

Knowing that the flame wouldn't last long on such sandy terrain, it was now or never. Dashing in a final slam, knowing that if she didn't manage it this time, it was all over, she threw everything Redbird had behind that blow. 

Sand and grit flew everywhere as the two blades rammed into each other.

When the smoke cleared, both blades lay on their side. 

Sighing, she shrugged. Considering the terrain on which she had been battling, she hadn't done quite too badly. Mariah scooped up both blades and grinned at her. "You won't be so lucky next time, Lei Feng."

Lei Feng smiled back, relieved at Mariah's nonchalance. "Yeah, right."

Janri grinned at her, revealing rows of perfectly white and beautiful teeth. "Me next!"

She nodded. Glancing at everyone else, she realized they were all looking at them. Raising one eyebrow, she said, "Don't you guys have to train as well? I know what I'm doing, stop looking like some mother hen."

The guys suddenly dispersed. "Dish?" Janri asked, a hungry looking glint in her eyes. 

Lei Feng noted the sudden shine. This was a girl who would be dangerous, no matter whether she won or lost. In that case, do your best to win. Grinning the neko-grin she had picked up from living around Mariah, though her teeth weren't quite as pointed, she said, "Classic."

That would be the best dish, because if she won, no one would be able to say that she hadn't played fair by choosing a dish to her advantage. 

Janri nodded and moved over. The countdown was silent, but both managed to release the blades at the exact same moment. "You won't beat me, Lei Feng. You might as well give up now- or maybe I'll show you a little of my bitbeast first. Hallyon!"

The huge deer reared from the bitchip, tossing its head at the other blade. Lei Feng just smiled ferally at Janri. For some reason, Janrilene McGregor and her blade incited bloodlust in her, the want to destroy the enemy's blade, shred it into a million tiny pieces and suck the power from it, drain it. She knew it was wrong, but. . .

Her eyes glazed over with a slight red filming as she shouted, "Redbird! Rise!"

The lightning phoenix gracefully soared out, deafening Lei Feng with her loud shriek of challenge. Suddenly, the bird dived without warning, slamming hard into the deer. Lei Feng blinked in surprise. This was the first time that Redbird had actually attacked without waiting for instruction. 

Looking at her opponent, Lei Feng found Janri was actually grinning. What was so funny? Redbird was busy striking at the deer's head with her talons, trying to reach the creature's eyes and blind it.

Suddenly Redbird jolted away from the hooved creature, screeching her pain, dark red ichor running down her face from the gashes, the blood also left on Hallyon's horns. She snapped herself out of the blood-red haze, racking her mind for a solution as Janri shouted, "Hallyon, Repeated Strike!" Grinning at Lei Feng, Janri said, "Hallyon's first attack hazes the enemy into bloodlust, making them muddle-headed in battle. You fell for my trick, dear."

Hallyon reared up at the girl's command, striking out and thudding the metal cased hooves on Redbird's chest. The bitbeast withstood the attack, but Lei Feng could see it slowly but surely weakening. Then the bitbeast thudded to the dish surface, finally letting the cries of pain escape as the ground cracked underneath her as Hallyon continued its relentless pounding.

No time to think up something else, no time to think at all. "Redbird! The final attack- Ring of Ruin." 

This was the attack she'd come up with when she was sure Redbird could control Storm Devastation. Based on both the former ultimate strike and the attack called Flame Circle, she had decided to let Redbird try it- sooner or later. This one would call upon all the destructive forces of nature that were somehow connected to the storm, and it would form a sort of ringed attack. 

The first was that of the typhoon- like Dragoon's Phantom Hurricane, just with the rain added. The second ring would have been the increasing of water and then leading to flooding- except that on a dish like this, Redbird would be submerged too. That particular ring would only come into use if Redbird was on higher ground. The third would be the use of lightning to shake the earth, causing an earthquake. And then the fourth would be the original might of the storm, and the lightning that came down. The destructive might of some of the mightiest forces of nature in one, simultaneous strike. 

Now all she had to worry about was whether Redbird would bring it down on their own heads. Attacks like this were hard to control, and all attacks needed to be controlled so as they wouldn't turn on their creator. But she didn't have a choice. 

Redbird responded to her summons, crying out the strange, siren-like calls that drew the forces to her, creating the first attack. The wind howled around the dish, gaining in speed and sheer power, whipping round and round, but Hallyon plunged the metal hooves into the dish, anchoring itself, and resisted the pull of the wind. 

Redbird called on the second ring while holding the first in place, and the lightning flashed down in quick, sharp strikes, and the dish surface began shaking, the stored energies released by the thunder. 

Hallyon's blade cleverly maneuvered away from potholes, somehow sensing the next crack and avoiding it all, growing closer and closer to Redbird. Lei Feng supposed it was because of the connection the beast had to the earth. If it hit, the phoenix would never be able to withstand the attack and hold her own. It was time. As the phoenix unleashed the last ring, the fury lashed down in whipping rain, and the thunder deafened, the tempest howling its rage. 

Lei Feng didn't notice the interested bladers surrounding the battle, her body tensed and hunched over, as strained as Redbird. 

Janri sensed the power, because she threw everything in one desperate attack, slamming her way through several fires and scorching Hallyon badly- and slowing it down besides. The hit she gave Redbird was weak and would never have done anything under ordinary conditions, but in this case it was enough to snap the delicate balance of control. 

Redbird stood against the impact, but Lei Feng took the residual blast. She involuntarily cried out as the wind streaked across her face, slashing her in a dozen places, gashes appearing and beginning to ooze crimson blood, the hurricane of her own making throwing her down to the ground. Utterly helpless as the wind enveloped the two bladers and the dish, forcing the others to step back. She thought she heard something crack and felt a sharp pain slice through her- she guessed it was a rib. Through her own miasma of pain, she faintly heard Redbird cry out for help. 

She couldn't respond, being pinned by the wind as she was, but something else did. Dark power suddenly flowed throughout the room, pervading every corner, then solidifying in the dish to become the bitbeast no one else had ever expected to see again- Black Dranzer.

The rich dusky power of that dark phoenix covered Redbird, lending strength, and the pressure lessened as she slowly felt the two majestic phoenixes work in tandem to take the storm back under control, felt the rain lessen, until all that remained of the failed attack was the physical damage it had caused. Which was horrific. The dish was utterly ruined and the ground around it for at least one metre around shattered. And two badly hurt bladers. 

But no one paid attention to that- all eyes were on the two bitbeasts. Redbird had collapsed, but Black Dranzer was standing protectively over her. Hallyon started to approach, but at a hiss from the Dark Phoenix, he backed away. 

Finally Redbird got to her feet. As she disappeared into the bitchip, Lei Feng distinctly heard her say to Black Dranzer, who was fast dissipating into the black miasma of power he had come in, "Thank you, my brother."

And the reply had been amusingly like that of an elder brother. "Try not to get into any more scrapes I have to rescue you from." 

And that was the last thing she heard before the dark tunnel contracting over her vision closed and she blacked out. 

Cherry Rain: Oh yay! I finished! And I will try my very best to make the chapters of Redbird Part Two longer, because I realized chapters were really was quite short in Redbird. Sorry! =P Review, okay? =] Be nice! =]


	2. Clashes

Redbird, Part Two- The Merging

Chapter Two: Clashes

Lei Feng sat upright and wished she hadn't.

Wincing and gingerly touching the white bandage around her middle, she realized she had broken a rib. Damn it, this meant she would have to ease off blading for a while- or at least until the fractured rib mended. 

Touching the cuts on her face, she realized what it must have felt like for Ray when Falborg had attacked him at the World Championships. Who'd have known that a bloody wind could hurt so bloody much? 

She was back in her room, and in a large, oversized shirt instead of the blood soaked one, and the scent on the shirt was distinctly male and distinctly Kai. Speaking of which, he had a lot of explaining to do. She had thought that Black Dranzer had been given back to Boris- or at least, that was the story she'd heard. But no, it obviously wasn't true. 

As if the thought had summoned him, Kai stepped into the room. Lei Feng automatically stood up- and sat back down as her bone cried out again in protest against the movement. But it didn't stop her from asking a little heatedly, "Why the hell didn't you tell me you still had Black Dranzer with you?"

Kai arched one eyebrow at her. "You never asked, Lei Feng."

She thought about that statement and huffed. He was right. "Okay, so I'm asking now, how come you still have Black Dranzer with you? I thought you gave it back?"

Kai walked slowly to her and sat down on the bed. In that moment, she saw a maelstrom of emotion crash across his face, only to be replaced by the Kai she knew best. "It returned to me, Lei Feng. I did give it back. But his spirit still returned- and then I knew it would be useless to try and give him back." Taking something out of his pocket and giving it to her, she saw that the blade was different from the one Black Dranzer had once resided in. This one was dark forest green with silver-gray markings, unlike the black one. But the bitchip was exactly the same, with exactly the same creature on it. As an afterthought, he added, "And I couldn't resist."

"I could resist when Boris offered it to me again. I could stand against him, because I knew what he wanted from me, what I would pay for that power. But after the Championships, when Boris and Voltaire were out of my life, and it returned... Lei Feng, do you know just how much power that blade can harness? The power it gave to Redbird just now- it wasn't even one fifth of its full strength."

Lei Feng blinked once or twice. She could still remember the dark, rich taste of that power as it had permeated the room, the feel that was like that of soft, warm silk trailing along her skin as that strength had flowed over her, into her. It had made her hungry for more. And that was less than a fifth... not surprising Kai was unable to resist. And in the hands of a blader like Kai, its force would be so much greater.

Nodding, she reached into her pocket for Redbird, looking at the bitbeast in a new light. She was sister to Black Dranzer- and would have about the same potential. She needed control; she needed to be trained in controlling the damn attack. Ring of Ruin would be virtually perfect, if not for the teensy little fact that Redbird couldn't use it safely. 

Suddenly she was brought back to reality as Kai touched a cut on her face. "I'll get Black Dranzer to teach Redbird how to harness her strengths. There is a way to keep every attack down, no matter how much force one throws into it. But only after you're better."

She nodded and hugged him lightly, careful of her own hurts, resting her head softly against his chest. "Thanks, Kai."

*** 

Back in her room, Janrilene McGregor threw a small tantrum, a habit she hadn't indulged in ages. That girl had actually beaten her. Damn it, that girl had actually beaten her. 

Alright, so she had been helped by another bitbeast- and not just any other- the fabled Black Dranzer. But even if Black Dranzer hadn't showed up, Janrilene knew that Ring of Ruin would have wrecked Hallyon- even if it would have wrecked Redbird right along with it. 

There must be a way to get revenge. Only, what way? To hurt the girl personally and emotionally, or in her career as a blader? 

Either. . . or maybe both. Maybe she would start soon- and start with Kai Hiwatari. She hadn't quite missed the relatively soft look in his eyes as he scooped the battered girl up from where she lay and moved off. There was something going on there- and she intended to break it up. 

*** 

Johnny lay back on the large bed, staring at the ceiling. This time they were all in trouble. His sister didn't take easily to losing and worse, she was a spiteful person. She would have a big fat grudge against the Bladebreaker girl for this one. Every time this kind of situation occurred, the phrase that occurred to him would be 'Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn.' Or more specifically, Janri's scorn. Janrilene was far more volatile than either he or she let on in public. She was, all in all, very much dangerous. And Hallyon would support her, no matter what she wanted to do. 

But he wouldn't do anything. The pride and honor of the McGregors was at stake here. He wouldn't easily admit that his sister might be slightly deranged- a trait inherited from their mother. In the European nobility, bloodlines sometimes got so inbred that the child could be slightly off balance. However, he told himself that Janrilene might just be suffering a bruised ego.

Even as he said it to himself, he knew it was a lie. 

*** 

Ray lay on his bed; Mariah snuggled up against him, in his arms. Brooding. "Mari, did you see the way Janri was looking at Lei Feng?"

"No," she said, puzzled. "Why?"

"She seemed so angry. Almost like she hated Lei Feng."

Mariah turned the idea over, then turned it away. Hate was too strong a word. "Dislike, maybe, but hate, Ray? I don't quite think anyone would hate another just because of a lost match. I lost to Lei Feng too."

Ray frowned, but let go of it. "Do you think Lei Feng's okay? She took a lot of injuries."

"Don't go butting in, Ray, I'll bet you five bucks Kai's with her. And I think he's got a lot to tell about Black Dranzer. And besides, he'll make sure nothing happens to her. Did you see how worried he was just now?"

"Yeah, maybe that's why Black Dranzer responded. Bitbeasts respond to strong distress signals from their human partners."

Sitting upright, Mariah began to knead the tense muscles between his shoulder blades. "Relax, Ray. Things will be fine."

"I hope so."

*** 

Lei Feng finally was judged well enough to get out of the bloody bed- though it was more like she had bullied her way out. Lying there was no fun. In fact, it was dead boring. 

__

God, I feel so useless just lying there. 

Fitting Redbird to the launcher, she loosed it and smiled in satisfaction as she felt no pain from her side. After a while, she asked Redbird. "Would you call Black Dranzer, please? Kai said he would get him to teach you how to control your own attacks."

A faint glow signified that Redbird had complied, and a few minutes later, Kai strode into the training room, Black Dranzer in his hand. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Fine, Kai, as I have been telling you guys throughout the last five days. Now can we get to work? This will be a great advantage to me, and you know it. Redbird has a lot of power but without knowing how to hold it, that power's useless."

He raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Call Redbird out." As he spoke, he sent a silent command to the dark phoenix, and it rose, assessing the teenage girl, and nodded, as if satisfied that Lei Feng had passed some kind of test. 

Redbird flew from the blade to rest in front of Lei Feng, eyes on Black Dranzer. "So you will teach me to control my power?"

"Yes. Firstly, Redbird, do you know what Ring of Ruin is?"

Redbird looked bewildered at simplicity of the question. "Yes, a simultaneous attack of the forces of nature that are connected with the storm."

"Fine. What are your attacks in general?"

"Power of the storm."

"And what is the power of the storm?"

"Wind, lightning, rain."

"Wrong!" the other bird snapped at his sister. "The power of the storm is your power. And your power is yours to use. Now, how do you use this power?"

"Bend it to my will," Redbird replied. 

"Wrong! You do not bend it to your will; you bend your will to it. What you don't realize, Redbird, is that power is by nature a destructive force. But it cannot be controlled unless you let it control you first. It is the way you look at it. Instead of making it do what it can naturally do, let it do what it wants and help you in the process."

Lei Feng watched her bitbeast get chastised in slight amusement and inwardly smiled as Redbird fell silent for a moment and digested what Black Dranzer had just told her. Nodding, the sister looked back at her brother, waiting for further instruction. 

"You know what to do? Good. Then fight me, release Ring of Ruin and we'll see what you can do." Disappearing back into his blade, Kai took it out and smirked at Lei Feng. "Well, you heard the bitbeast. Let's try."

Readying Redbird, she braced herself and released the blade. "Redbird, Ring of Ruin!"

"Black Dranzer! Do what you have to do!"

Screeching, Redbird freed the attack and immediately the whole atmosphere grew different. The growing force was spreading everywhere, and Lei Feng stiffened. Redbird had better know what she was doing...

The bitbeast wore a smug smile on her face as she released the flood, and the power rushed towards the dish, filling it, while Redbird stayed there serenely, her face clear of the dangerous tension that had suffused every inch of it in the past times she had tried using difficult attacks. 

Lei Feng relaxed as well, as the first ring crashed down upon the dish, but Redbird showed no sign of weakening. Then, another beyblade suddenly joined them in the dish, knocking Redbird off balance. Lei Feng sprang alert, readying herself for the onslaught, but it never came. 

Redbird wobbled a little, but never wavered in her control. Black Dranzer soared, smiled at his sister in satisfaction, and the storm stopped as Redbird slowly pulled it back into her. "So how did I do, Black Dranzer?"

The third beyblade's bitbeast rose. "Not bad for an amateur," Dranzer said. 

Redbird snapped out with her beak, but the other phoenix dodged it immediately. "Why, you flaming idiotic chicken!" Lei Feng bitbeast hissed at the other in anger.

"Right back at you, my dear. Your feathers are standing up on end. Try to de-stress."

"I only need to get rid of some of the electrical charge. . . like this!" Throwing a couple of bolts at the other bird, only to have them deflected by Black Dranzer. "Stop arguing, kids. Go take a break, Redbird."

Redbird glared, but acquiesced, disappearing back into her blade. Lei Feng bowed her head in formal acknowledgement. "Thank you, Black Dranzer."

The bitbeast nodded regally at her before diving back into its blade.

*** 

Yu slipped out of the mansion and onto the driveway. It was early morning, with the sun risen less than one and a half hours. After ascertaining that there was no one in sight, she had Marine call for Foxflame. The fox bitbeast appeared and twined its tail around her leg, and then Yu felt utter nothingness. But she didn't panic. This had been done before and explained to her as one of the fox's techniques, the ability to move things certain distances, so she knew that the bitbeast was bringing her to meet Satashi. But what she didn't know was a female pair of lavender-grey eyes was watching her. 

*** 

Yu reappeared in midair, then fell onto a soft landing. A soft bed, and Satashi was sleeping on it. Even in sleep, she could see the soft lines of worry that crossed his face, and she wanted to gather him into her arms, hug him, make it better somehow. 

She let out a startled 'eep' as Satashi rolled over in his sleep and put an arm around her waist. She was wondering how to draw away without waking him when Foxflame looked at them both with eyes filled with amusement. 

"Go to sleep, little one," the fox bitbeast said. "He wants you near him."

Nodding, she lay down too and snuggled against him. She had wanted to do this for a long time, just lie there quietly with him, not worrying, not scheming, not talking. The state of relaxation soon tipped her into a quiet sleep, deep, dreamless and restful.

Foxflame watched the two slumbering humans, a quiet smile on his face. They deserved so much more than they had. When Satashi had told Yu he hadn't known, it had been the truth. Satashi had been picked up by Varian, an orphan off the streets, and he was, of course, very grateful and loyal to the man. 

But Satashi didn't know why Varian wanted the bitbeasts. Satashi didn't know that Varian was fascinated with bitbeasts. He wanted to know their genetic makeup; he wanted to know what was the extra spark in their systems that allowed them their powers. He had originally thought that genetically engineered bitbeasts could answer that question. But genetically engineered bitbeasts were man-equipped, in various ways, with that power. Not so in a normal bitbeast. And thus Varian had hopes of getting some and testing them out. And he had recently heard a legend- that there were three bitbeasts able to go through fusion, therefore the power level of the bitbeasts would be amazingly high, higher than anything they had ever seen had. And there was reason to believe that it was Dranzer, Black Dranzer and Redbird. Which is why Satashi was now entrusted with the task of getting them.

Experiments had been conducted on Foxflame, but he was a lesser bitbeast, possessed of far less power than one such as Black Dranzer and it wasn't easy to find out where that strength had come from, since there was less to detect. One widely held theory was that the blader and the blade were partners, both feeding off the energy and will of the other, but there must be another source. To live, even, there was a lot of energy needed to maintain a bitbeast. Varian supposed that when the creature was fighting in the dish, it would draw on the blader. But otherwise... 

And that was why the fusion was so dangerous. Any fusion would take a high amount of energy to cause the reaction, and if the beasts didn't have enough, it would be sapped from their owners. And if too much was drained from the far frailer human bodies, that owner would just die.   


But Satashi was Foxflame's master and Foxflame would obey no matter what the cost. 

And Varian was Satashi's master and Satashi would obey no matter what the cost.

*** 

Lei Feng moved softly down the stairs, going to the breakfast room before Tyson awoke. Kai had gone to train already. In the past week, the kitchen staff had sworn to go on strike unless they were given a raise- due to the amount of overtime they were working to feed Tyson's voracious appetite. 

Janrilene McGregor joined her on the way down, walking in silence, but shooting sudden glances at Lei Feng that she could barely catch. What was with her? "So what's it like being joint heiress to one of the largest estates in Europe? I never knew what the meaning of 'rich' was when I was younger."

The girl nodded. "I know. Robert told me you used to be a street urchin."

"I prefer alley kid. Urchin makes me sound like a sea creature."

Janrilene smiled a small, secret smile. Lei Feng would hurt for what she had done. "You and Kai seem quite close."

"I guess so."

"Why was he so concerned the other day when you were hurt? He carried you to your room, in case you didn't know."

Luckily, Lei Feng was spared answering that question by the bouncy appearance of Mariah, followed by a sleepier Ray. The two had obviously taken to sleeping in the same room as each other- unbeknownst to Kai, who slept with Lei Feng and therefore on a different storey. 

Sitting down at the table, she nodded to Robert in greeting. When everybody had assembled and breakfast had started [minus Tyson], Robert tapped his spoon on the side of his glass for everyone's attention. "I called you Bladebreakers and the two White Tigers here for a purpose. I need your help- in two matters. One reason, which I told Johnny, is that I want to research your blades and create the perfect one- which will then be given to the best amongst us. Secondly, I need your help in fending off a guy my father hated- and who hated my father. It's an old family feud, to tell the truth. And now, he wants to exterminate the Jagen clan. He's called Varian."

Yu steeled her face into perfect indifference, fighting shock. Wasn't that... 

Cherry Rain: Cliffy of sorts. =] I'll try and update soon! =]


End file.
